


A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

by 00Hamlet



Category: Attack on Titan, aot, snk - Fandom
Genre: AU, Alternate Reality, Cinderella AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 06:37:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00Hamlet/pseuds/00Hamlet
Summary: With a history of adventures only his parents have taken, Levi is struck with the need to revisit what he has left of his parents. Unfortunately, he cannot easily do such things when forced to do chores and take care of his wicked Uncle and his two ugly, and rude daughters. Surely he was meant for more than just to be a handmaiden. In this wicked, and surprising love story, will Levi ever find his true destiny?





	1. For His Sake

Every morning was filled with an adventure of its own. The morning light entered the large, unprotected windows and swallowed the room. The light carried itself over to the bed where the young Levi had been sleeping. Dreaming of exploring the world, saving lives along the way just like his mother and father, who had been well-known doctors with the great blessing of traveling the world, and even working for the King himself. 

Turning gently, Levi’s sleep slowly began to fade away and leave him with only the warmth of his awakening to the bright room. Silver eyes, blinking awake, glanced about his room as if to check if he was in the real world, or his dream world. Much to his dismay, it was the real world; beautiful, but also very unkind. Waking reminded him just of how unkind it could be when his father wasn’t there to greet him when he woke. 

Every morning, just as he woke, his father would scoop him up in his arms and wish him the morning’s best. They would exchange their greetings and escape to the lower level of the house for breakfast, the smell too tempting for them to resist for long. 

This morning was not like those mornings. As bright as his room, and as cruel as it played the beauty, he felt nothing but sorrow. Levi rose, only so much as if he expected large hands to pull him up, to hold him close and promise the safety of them were everlasting. The silence was all he got. Those days he once knew would never return to him. As young as Levi may have been, he still understood the death of his father was no mere pain. 

"Levi, my dear Levi." A soft voice spoke over the squeaking of the bedroom door opening, the sweet smell from downstairs filling the room when his mother entered. Levi's silver eyes quickly caught the sight of his mother, so beautiful despite his eyes still full of sleep. 

Levi smiled, turning his legs to slide out from his blankets to greet her by the bedside. "Good morning, mother." Even if it wasn't his father's arms to hold him, it was someone just as loving as he. Their embrace was gentle, but more meaningful than most hugs. She was feeling just as much pain as he, and only showed him so little of it. To protect her son, she could not allow herself to become vulnerable. 

Kuchel tossed the curtains open. "It's time for breakfast. Get dressed, and come down when you're ready, my darling Levi." His mother pressed a tender kiss to the top of his head where she so often did. Levi could have sworn the spot would go bald with all the kisses she planted there. Though, if it meant he could still obtain kisses every morning, he didn't care if he was bald. Once Kuchel left the room, Levi returned to getting properly dressed. 

It had been three months since his father's passing, and the reason for his death was still unknown to him. At least, for his sake it was. His mother tended to keep things hidden from him until she deemed it appropriate to say something; perhaps it was better that way. 

Before long, Levi came downstairs, more awake now that the smells of breakfast were so potent. 

"Thank you, mother." 

Levi smiled when he sat down. Kuchel could tell he was trying, trying to understand that he would never again see his father, and trying to cope with it. She held her hands to her heart as if to stop the breaking of it. 

"He would be so proud of you, my darling Levi," she softly spoke, so soft it could be missed if not paid attention to. Levi glanced her direction before training his silver gaze to hers. 

"And he of you." Levi offered a smile to the best of his ability. His mother smiled in return, but something looked haunted by it; she knew the real reason for their beloved father's death, yet, she would not tell him it had been her fault all along. The kitchen fell silent, the silence speaking more of their coping than keeping up a conversation as if nothing had happened. Levi appreciated this. 

After finishing breakfast, his mother stood before he did. She had given a rather serious look before replacing it with a smile; somehow it hadn't made Levi feel any better. "I have to run a few errands today, please behave while I'm gone." She said this as if Levi had ever been bad in his life, and the servants made faces. 

"Yes, ma'am."

"Remember to catch up on your books. We wouldn't want you to get behind just because of a hiccup." Kuchel's words had been much more bitter than before. Levi frowned but gave a firm nod. His mother referred to his father's passing as some lesser valued object in her collection of priorities. Levi felt it was best to leave it alone, and perhaps not mention it at all, even if it bothered him more than he'd like to admit. With his mother being gone, he decided to return to his room in hopes of keeping his mind off his father. 

-

Kuchel had been planning on this meeting for the past few days. She had planned to meet with her older brother to ask for help, but help wouldn't be cheap. She knew, despite her brother being family, he would charge her like any other customer. Her silver eyes caught the sight of the horizon outside her carriage window. She could remember the world being so much brighter, so much more kind, and had she dared to, she could have seen it much easier. "I dare think of a world without you, and I am bitter to it," Kuchel had remarked to herself as if her dead husband would be listening; perhaps to justify her negative thoughts. The carriage came to a stop, and quickly she was brought back to the reality of the situation. 

"Lady Ackerman, welcome," a footman greeted as he opened the carriage door. Kuchel gave the footman a look when he reached inside the carriage to take her hand. She almost had to laugh, but instead simply ignored the gesture; climbing out of the carriage on her own. Her silver eyes saw what her brother's estate had become. It was such a beautiful piece of property, with many decorations on the outside it almost looked like a whorehouse. 

She stepped forward, almost hesitantly as she thought of her dear Levi back at home. Kuchel wanted to turn away, wanted to forget coming to this place with the intentions she had, but she couldn't. For the sake of her son, she could not throw away such an opportunity. "My brother is expecting me. Do tell me he remembered I was coming this time?"

"Oh yes, my Lady, right this way." The footman rushed before her to ensure he was the first to open the door. _Did he really need so many things?_ The curtains were drunk with deep reds of silk, and the floors matched with long carpets that cost more to make than they were worth. The floors were so clean Kuchel could see herself in them and tried not to. Everything else in the mansion was gold, and silver with accents of reds and violets. Her brother had been obsessed with the idea that red and violet were of royal colors; that was the closest he could get to anything royal.

Kuchel stopped before the grand staircase, and the footman turned to see her pause. He didn't have time to question when the silent ballroom of an entryway suddenly echoed her name. "Kuchel, my dear sister, I have missed you greatly." The voice was endearing, yet also sarcastic. 

Her silver eyes narrowed and fixed themselves on the man that held the title of her brother. "Kenny," her voice deepened from what could be called annoyance, "I'm only here to discuss the matter we briefly talked about before. Nothing more than a discussion--"

"You are so tense, dear sister! Did you truly not come here for pleasantries?" 

"I could never find this place to be pleasant, brother," she retorted. How could anyone find this place to be pleasant unless drunk or blind? There was a hiss in her tone and Kenny only smiled like he always had. His smiles were never considerate; they were always deceiving, the light never quite reaching his eyes. "Could we possibly go somewhere more private?" she asked rather impatiently. 

Kenny scoffed with a mix of a laugh that made the noise sour. "Of course. If you will follow me, we can talk in my office," he proudly announced, as if owning his own office made him more of a man. Kuchel followed with a bad taste in her mouth from the things she wished she could say; instead, she followed silently. Through the hallways of his castle, she had noticed the expensive looking vases, paintings, and bookcases that filled the empty spaces of the hallway. Kenny had always had a taste for things that made him look richer than he really was. Kuchel found that tacky. 

Upon entering the office, Kuchel shifted her eyes about the room, her silver eyes exposed to endless amounts of books, and other trinkets. "Tell me, dear sister, what is it you wished to talk about? You only mentioned you wanted to borrow something from me, but never anything specific." Kenny tried to sound charming, and could if he really tired, but Kuchel was not stupid. 

"I," she paused, having a hard time letting the words escape her throat, "wanted to ask for your help, brother." 

"What of my help?"

"I cannot support Levi and I both. You must understand that without Adam, I cannot take proper care of Levi." Her voice sounded ashamed, but not for the reason Kenny would think. "My husband and I both became sick." She finally confessed, and to her older brother no less. Kenny dropped the charming facade, quite quickly he was serious. 

"You are ill." He sounded almost as if he had asked a question rather than repeating her. "You want me to take care of your son? Have you gone mad? I already have two daughters of my own and--"

"Please!" Kuchel shouted desperately, her voice no longer resenting. "I don't have as much time as I would like. Adam was taken faster than we anticipated and I am not much farther behind. You must understand I'm not doing this because I cannot take care of my home and family with the loss of my husband, but because I cannot take care of Levi when I am destined to die within the next few years if not sooner!" Her haunted words seemed to awaken a side of Kenny she did not know he had. His own silver eyes looked far more understanding than she thought they would be. For once in their relationship, she saw her brother in those eyes and not the businessman. 

He pondered a moment before answering her. "Fine, but we will have to make adjustments." Kenny pressed his hands into his desk, pushing himself to stand. "Levi and you may stay here with my daughters and me, but you must understand I cannot support all of you with my income alone." Kenny stepped away from his desk with his hands behind his back, and over to the half-opened window. "You will sell your home, and all its belongs. You can take what you deem important but sell the rest. What you make off the home will be given to me as payment of your stay."

"Have you gone mad!?" Kuchel rose from her seat to argue. "You expect me to sell everything I own, rid of servants so they no longer have jobs and a place to live, and move in with you only to give you all I have worked on all these years?" A responsible thing to argue about. Kenny never turned, never looked from his window to his defensive sister. 

"If you want Levi to live a life with something to look forward to, I would suggest you cooperate. When he is of the proper age, I will return the money you have made to him so he may leave and start a life of his own." Finally, his eyes returned to his sister's gaze. The light avoided his eyes like the sun that feared the night sky. Kuchel felt her blood run cold with such a gaze. Her brother was serious, and would not budge from such a deal. This was the only choice she would have, and she would have to take it or watch her son suffer more than he already had. 

She held her hands to her chest. "Fine, but you must promise me this, dear brother, that Levi will get everything back when he is eighteen. That you will take care of my son and let him grow to know love exists in the world or so help me I will **torture** your dreams every night until the day you die." Kuchel was just as cruel of an Ackerman as her profligate brother. She would be bullied into submission by no man, or even God if it meant her son would be taken care of. 

"You've got yourself a deal, little sister." Kenny grinned. His posture was stern, but his body language screamed counterfeit prophet. Kuchel couldn't help but feel her heart strain with every passing minute. She felt this deal would become the worst to have agreed upon, but Levi was much too important to give it a second thought. "Dear sister, return home for the evening and have something sweet to taste. Tomorrow, I will send someone out to assist you with the selling of your home and don't worry, I trust this man with my life." Somehow that did not make Kuchel feel any better.

She did not speak but simply nodded to his comment, and turned away to leave the office. When she left, she could have sworn she heard her brother laugh. Steeling herself, Kuchel wouldn't dare go back into that office with a 'below the belt' comment for she wasn't that type of woman. Her time was needed at home with her son, and she felt this may be the last time they would be truly happy together.


	2. Change

There always had to be some kind of double life a parent would live. Often times, they would give up half their world for their child, and Kuchel was one of those parents. Returning home to the house that would no longer be theirs was hard. She and Adam had built this place from the ground up and created a home for not only them and Levi but for their servants and their families. Kuchel had to find a way to explain this all to her servants, but for now, she spent her time with Levi. 

Levi had just finished cleaning his room when he heard his mother arrive. He was excited to know she returned safely, but something was off about her. He noticed quickly that she seemed bothered by something, but knew she wouldn't explain it to him until she felt ready. "Did you finish what you needed to?" Levi tried to make the room seem less tense, and Kuchel smiled to that. She stood in the doorway, having just got in. 

"I did. I thought maybe tonight we could enjoy dinner in the conservatory since it's a beautiful night." Her voice was soothing enough to convince Levi everything was fine. Levi didn't question the location of dinner but instead became excited to know they would be eating under the stars. "Go ahead, I will be there shortly." Levi gave a concerned look for only a moment before leaving to the conservatory.

Kuchel held her breath while watching her son hurry off. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears it was beating so hard, but rather that than her own thoughts clouding her mind. She had things to do, and she couldn't waste time thinking of silly things; hesitantly she made her way to the kitchen to see her kitchen staff working like always. 

"Lady Ackerman, dinner should be ready shortly." a servant informed Kuchel when she stood there silently, and perhaps the servant girl was worried when Kuchel stood without a word for so long. Food was the last thing of her mind before opening her own mouth to speak.

Kuchel bit her tongue when trying to form the right sentence. "I'm sorry," her voice shook when she spoke. "you're all no longer needed." Was that truly all she could say? Such a heartless sentence for such devoted workers. The servants stared rather confused for only a moment before one softly whispered for her to repeat herself. 

"My Lady--"

"You're all no longer needed. Your service is no longer required here so please stop what you're doing and leave." Kuchel hung her head with these words, and the servants were in shock before realizing they were being told to leave. Some tried to argue, but Kuchel was not able to defend herself with the truth, but instead told them she was moving away with Levi and couldn't take them. To where, she did not say, and they did not ask as their consideration for their master was lost to the cruelness of her deeds. Soon the kitchen fell silent, and Kuchel stood before half-finished food and untouched drink. "For him," she told herself. "for my son." 

-

Levi had waited for quite a while before his mother entered the conservatory. In her hands she carried a tray with two bowls on it, next to the bowls was a small plate of cut bread and butter. Levi pondered why his mother was the one to bring the food and not one of the servants, but thought he wouldn't ask if she didn't say. "I hope you like bisque, my dear Levi. I made this one myself, special for you." Levi tried to smile to show his appreciation, but the phrase bothered him despite his expression. 

"Thank you, mother." Levi placed his bowl in his lap. His pants stopped the heat of the bowl from burning him. This happened to be one of his favorite types of soup. A bisque style soup with a heavy creamy base, with steamed crab tossed into the fresh herbs and spices; he took a careful bite and let himself sigh with satisfaction. As much as he had appreciated the soup, Levi felt this was some kind of way to butter him up. _Maybe mother was going to tell me something bad?_ His thoughts made him anxious, and he asked her quietly, "Is something bad going to happen to us?" 

The room fell silent, and Kuchel held her bowl of steaming soup with bare hands. Levi noticed her trembling. "You know, my dear Levi, it was a night just like this that I made a wish on a shooting star for a son." Her voice was soft, untouched by doubt or concern, and Levi for a moment was starstruck. "I wished to have a healthy, beautiful son; and soon after I made that wish, you came to me." She softly chuckled, more of a gentle giggle to herself. Her silver eyes shimmered like diamonds, and her smile was painted beautifully on her soft rosy lips. Levi felt his breath being caught in his throat and dared not speak as to not ruin the moment. "I'm so glad it was **you.** " Levi had felt his cheeks burn, and his eyes wet with tears that rejected his pride. He couldn't help but bite his lip in order to stop the tears that flowed over his rosy cheeks, and his mother gently pulled him into her arms; the soup spilling over the tile floor.

"I love you, Levi. Nothing will ever change that, my dear Levi, you are all I could ever love, and ever hope to love." Despite her efforts to cover up her fears, she couldn't control even her own tears. "I will always love you, I will always love **_you!_** " Kuchel repeated, but this time more desperately as to ensure Levi knew just how much she would love him. Their tears broke the silence but didn't sour the mood. Even in the pain they faced, there was nothing but love remaining between the two. 

For a while, they stayed like this. Both of them held onto each other as if they knew what the other was thinking. Levi was the first to pull away and face his mother once again, but this time with the intention to dig for more information. "Mother, what is going to happen to us?" he asked again, he could tell she was uncomfortable, but she wouldn't lie to him. 

"I went to your uncle's house today to ask for help. Levi, I can't support the house by myself without your father because--" she paused, not being able to tell the complete truth, "of complicated reasons. So, we had an agreement that we move in with him." Ashamed of herself, she had to do what she must for them. Levi on the other hand, for the first time, felt rage. He was confused, angry, and afraid of what was to happen to them. 

"What will happen to our house? All our stuff, and the servants! What will happen to them?" 

"I had to let them go, Levi. Your uncle was kind enough to let us stay with him, but we can't keep the house--"

"But you and father built this house for us!" Levi shouted when his aggression forced him to stand. "You're going to rid of everything he made for us, and you thought I'd be okay with this!?" Slowly, Levi became more and more enraged with his mother, so much so, his tears that fell for her now fell for his dead father. "I'm not leaving!"

"You HAVE to leave with me. You don't have a choice in the matter. Levi, we cannot stay here anymore. Your uncle is going to let us stay with the money we make off the house, and that's final!" Kuchel interjected, and again, the room fell silent. "You have the rest of the night to think about what you want to take, and you can't take everything. I don't want this any more than you do, but I have to. We have to." 

Levi found himself in amazement. The room felt like it would cave in at any second, and he would fall straight into the center of the earth. "Fine." Levi answered rather bitterly before leaving the conservatory, and to his bedroom. Kuchel felt her chest hurt and placed her hands over her heart; her eyes lowered to the soup stained floor. 

"Tomorrow, my dear Levi, will be the end of all you know." Her voice spoke to only herself, a warning that fell on deaf ears. Tomorrow, they would discuss the ways of liquidating the house and its assets, and only a few things would remain with them. Kenny, the cruelest man in her life felt like nothing compared to the heartache of her son. 

-

The next morning came far too quickly, and Levi didn't sleep very well. His eyes powdered with sleep, so much so, he didn't even change from yesterdays outfit. In his room, he collected a box and placed everything he wanted inside of it. Books, drawings, handwritten letters, along with other things his father had given him. In his mind he knew this room was nothing to him anymore; for it was just a place he kept his things. It once was a bedroom he grew to love, with its secret shelving and large windows he could paint pictures in. The ceiling that held all his lights and paper creatures his father hung up. It would all mean nothing soon. 

Levi sat in the middle of the floor with his box. Protecting the contents like a lion protecting its young. How silly he felt for being this territorial over stuff like this, but he couldn't help it. "Levi? Are you awake?" his mother called from downstairs, and Levi didn't answer right away. 

"No," he finally shouted back, and he heard a scoff from his mother. Levi scoffed to himself, mocking his mother who obviously couldn't hear him, the only reason he felt safe enough to do it. 

Distantly, he heard the sound of the front door, opening and closing, and briefly imagined his mother having enough of him and leaving. No sooner had he quelled the intrusive thought did he hear a masculine voice speaking to his mother, trading words to her that were lost on him in a dizzying frenzy of phrases, so large and full of syllables they could only have meant something bad.

He willed his hands, paused in the midst of their task, not to tremble. Soon their house would only be a distant dream. Levi tried to imagine waking up tomorrow morning in a different place and felt a bitter taste rise in his throat. No. _No._ He wouldn't let his insecurities stun his ability to make this work, for his mother anyway. Perhaps this was a way he could trick his mind into thinking it would be okay, even if he didn't want it to.

"Levi, come downstairs." Kuchel was loud enough he could hear her, but he didn't want to. He wished to be deaf for a little longer but knew it was hopeless to cling anymore. _What good would this do anyway?_ His thoughts were right. In the event he would never see this place again, he had to let it go without a fight or it would be hopeless of a cause. Soon enough, Levi built the courage to leave his room and go downstairs. He was faced with his mother, and a man he had never seen before and wished he hadn't. 

Kuchel smiled, turning to face Levi and held out her hand to introduce him to the man. "Mr. Reiss, this is my son Levi. He will be assisting me in deciding what comes and goes. I hope that's alright with you." Kuchel was charming enough to win the heart of the strange man quickly, and Reiss smiled in return. 

"Of course. We wouldn't want the man of the house to be excluded from the decision making," Reiss replied. Levi narrowed his eyes for the first time in his life. He felt threatened but stood still on his ground. No man was a man if they fell so quickly to threats, his father would have told him. "Let us start with the living area, and make our way around. The upper floors will come last." Kuchel nodded to the instructions and showed Reiss around the lower levels of the house. Levi's fingers gently traced along the edges of everything as they moved from room to room; he didn't say much, but instead, let his mother do the talking. 

Their voices sounded muffled, like Levi's ears were stuffed and unable to make out words, just noises. He didn't want to hear what was being given away, rather he just hoped it would be over faster. Soon enough, they made their way about the upper floors and the attic. What felt like minutes had really been hours, and those hours melted into seconds in a sudden return of Levi's rising tide of anxiety. "We do have a garden out back, but I would rather just rid of all of it." Kuchel was trying to make things go faster by simply surrendering the outside without giving it proper attention. 

"Are you sure, Mrs. Ackerman?" Reiss asked her as if he knew what would be outside that she would miss. Kuchel only nodded, she couldn't bear the thought of having to decide what part of her life would be stripped of her and what wouldn't be. It was easier to surrender all of it to him. "Alright, we will start getting things taken care of today. Your brother was very persistent about having everything taken care of within the week." 

Levi's heart sank. He only had a week, if even, to tell everything he owned goodbye. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to his father, and would never be ready to say goodbye to his world. This sacred world his parents built for them, being taken away by petty greed. "A week?" Kuchel repeated as if he spoke in tongues. "Why, that man is a royal pain in the ass isn't he?" Levi covered his mouth, he had to swallow the laugh that bubbled in his throat. Reiss gave a considerate smile but had to agree with her. 

"I will have my boys round everything up. If you already have your personal belonging collected, your brother said you could head over tonight. I will have a list of everything you require to keep here with me. I will make sure everything is delivered within the next few days." Reiss's words trailed off. He and Kuchel began to talk of more detailed things that Levi himself didn't quite understand yet. Watching his mother sign millions of papers made him sick; he didn't want to hear the details. 

Kuchel collected Levi's hand in her own before giving him a confident smile. "Collect your things, dear Levi, we have to go now." Levi looked up to her with eyes that begged her not to take him away from here. Despite her knowing the language they spoke, she couldn't give Levi what he wanted, what _she_ wanted. "Go." His mother whispers to him, releasing his hand to let her son slowly drift up the stairs and into his room. _She lifted her hands to her chest as if to stop her heart from breaking._


End file.
